Prostate-specific antigen doubling time in the identification of patients at risk for progression after treatment and biochemical recurrence for prostate cancer

After primary treatment for clinically localized prostate cancer, biochemical recurrence is usually the first evidence of either local recurrence or metastatic progression. This poses a diagnostic dilemma for both the patient and the physician regarding future therapy. Prostate-specific antigen doubling time (PSADT) is a useful tool in this clinical setting. There have been multiple reports of the utility of PSADT in men with isolated biochemical recurrence after either radical prostatectomy or external-beam radiation therapy. Early observations of PSADT in men with recurrence are reviewed and the current literature is summarized to allow physicians to make an accurate assessment of a patient's risk of progression after isolated biochemical recurrence.